Aquaponics | Rain Harvesting | Composting | Other Green Products
Previously we exhibited our non electric bucket washer, today we are presenting the water press companion. This is a lot easier than a ringer, and easier on the clothes (and operator). We have loaded a video on Youtube, and a Instructable. Also see our previous post about the non electric washer. Enjoy:
Non Elelectric Laundry Press – More DIY How To Projects
When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for a people to rely less on worldly (outside) sources for their food supply, one of the very first steps of action is to acquire a supply of open-pollinated vegetable seed. With a good supply of non-hybrid seed, and simple instructions on seed saving, one is well on his way to self-sufficiency. Add a small piece of land and the willingness to work and you can produce all the vegetables you need for all year round, every year.
In 1998 a friend requested that we design and package a seed kit that would last for many years for emergencies. I had been taught gardening and preserving food as a child and continued this all my years. We had experienced gardening in different parts of the country and knew the challenges and successes each year presents. We knew that if lives depended on this seed kit, we had to make it good. We could not choose really exotic varieties of vegetables; we needed varieties that prospered under many varied conditions. We needed open pollinated seed that would tolerate heat, cold, drought, poor soil, short seasons, inexperienced gardeners, weed competition, etc. So we chose those varieties that have proven their reliability. They have been grown all over the country, in all different conditions for many decades, by gardeners of varying abilities. They are very common, because they are survivors. This is what we wanted. We specialized in packaging seed so that it can be frozen and stored for 50 years with almost no loss of germination rates.
We also wanted plenty of seed. Experience has also taught us that there are many reasons for crop failure. Besides heat and drought, there are insects, poor soils, soil with poor drainage, critters (rabbits, moles, deer, chickens, cows that don’t stay in fences, etc.) in addition to gardener mistakes, such as planting too early or late, too deep or shallow, untimely harvesting, weather conditions, etc. etc. So we put in plenty of seed to allow for mistakes. Tomatoes have 600 seeds. Now tomatoes produce alot and 100 plants is plenty for a family of eight including canning tomatoes, and salsa and pizza sauce and spaghetti sauce, and tomato sauce and plain tomatoes. But when you start your tomatoes, you may have damping off problems and lose some plants. And when you set them out in the garden, you may set them out too early and some may freeze. And a fat cutworm may come along 3 days after you set them out and chew it off at ground level. After that, they usually grow pretty good, but there are a host of other insects that can bother them. So while gardening is very enjoyable and most often quite successful, we wanted to be sure you had a second chance. So we put in a lot of seed. For each variety of squash we give you 70 seeds, for peppers 560, for green beans 800-1600 seeds, for corn 2000 seeds, for cabbage, 1000 seeds, etc.
We considered how easy each crop is to start, the ease of transplanting, the quality of food produced, what you can do with the vegetable, (we love watermelon, but besides fresh eating, what can you do with it?) We considered the success rate of saving seed (biennials are more difficult). We looked at the labor involved in growing and harvesting the crop. Can you use it for winter food? And can it be used to feed animals (and neighbors?)
All our seeds are non-hybrid, heirloom, open pollinated, non-GMO seed. There is no fantastic secret about this seed. It is just seed the way it was created by nature. This seed will reproduce themselves just like they have done for hundreds of years. NO, they aren’t necessarily all that old. But there is a major difference between these seeds, and the modern hybrids. Hybrids are produced for various reasons and not all of them are evil. Some are more productive, some are resistant to a disease or insects; some ripen all at once for commercial production. Some travel better across the country than for example, softer, old-time tomatoes. But they do not reproduce seed that will grow a plant just like the parent. So each year, hybrids must have man’s intervention to produce the hybrid seed. GMO seeds are a giant step further away from nature. This involves splicing genes of plants and animals from outside the species, into its genes to produce the desired crop. For example, splicing arctic fish genes into a tomato to make it cold hardy. Our kits include a simple seed saving book.
We also include a wonderful gardening book that discusses how to grow each crop. The Vegetable Growers Handbook by Frank Tozer covers everything you need to know about cultivating all the common vegetable crops. It includes planning, soil preparation, where and when to plant, raising transplants, direct sowing, fertilizing, watering, weeding, pest control, harvesting, open-pollinated seed saving, storage, and cooking.
http://www.downtoearthseeds.com/
Again we address the LED flash-light topic, because it’s one of our favorite topics. This time we converted a Eveready(R) Utility Lantern
Nice features of this flash-light is that it floats, has a shatter-proof lens, and comes with a 6v battery. It comes in a variety of colors, so if you mail order it, you never know what one you might get.
Ok, Why convert to LED? Well, as we have said in previous upgrades of tube type flashlights, a good LED will last pretty much forever, is shock proof, greatly increases brightness, and can extend battery life by 2x or more (unless you go extreme). Over the years you can save well more than the cost of the bulb in reduced battery costs.
Ever have a bulb get dimmer and dimmer till you can hardly see? Not so with LED’s. They stay bright, and then suddenly go out when battery voltage dips below the minimum needed to keep them lit. Ok, so maybe that’s a mixed blessing. Keep a spare battery handy.
So, here’s a couple of proven LED options.
TerraLUX TLE-1F MiniStar1 1-Watt 50 Lumen Replacement Bulb
TerraLUX TLE-6EX MiniStar5 5-Watt 140 Lumen Extreme LED Replacement Bulb
The 1-Watt LED is a nice visual upgrade for the old 2.38 Watt PR-13. It’s brighter, and whiter (a little blueish versus aging yellow on the PR-13). The 5-Watt Extreme LED will make you blind as a bat (without the cool sonar stuff).
Pulling out the old bulb isn’t very easy, so just take your time and gently rock the plastic carrier plug back and forth with firm pulling pressure.
There you have it! Have fun, and happy conversions. It’s a cool upgrade!
PS: There are not 32 AA batteries inside a 6v lantern battery, if you have seen the gag video claiming otherwise. There are four 1.5v “not quite D” (F) cells in series batteries inside.
Want a rechargeable “Lantern Battery”?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_battery_sizes shows that four “C Cells” will fit nicely inside. A 6v lantern battery is about 11 amp hours, so unless you can get creative, you will lose run time, but at least pick up recharge-ability. The 11amp hour “D” NiMH will also fit (a tiny bit larger in diameter than the “F”), and give you similar ah rating as the 6v Lantern Battery. Use the Dorcy 4D adapter for instant conversion!
http://www.dorcydirect.com/p-160-41-0805-4d-adapter.aspx
Maha Powerex D cell 11,000mAh Rechargeable Batteries- 2 Pack
AA NiMH Precharged Rechargeable Batteries (8-Pack, 2000 mAh)
Remington makes a 6v agm Lantern Battery, but it requires a special charger:
See the following video for ideas.
One of our interests is human power. The average human body can sustain about 100 watts of output. One of the easiest ways to convert human power into work is with the bicycle crank. You can build a electrical generator, pump water, propel a boat, even grind wheat. Here are some very good resources about the history of human power, human power projects, and maintaining bicycle components.
Bike Cult: The Ultimate Guide to Human-Powered Vehicles
The Human-Powered Home: Choosing Muscles Over Motors
Pedal power in work, leisure, and transportation
The Bicycling Guide to Complete Bicycle Maintenance & Repair: For Road & Mountain Bikes
Yesterday I received my package of survival seeds from hometownseeds.com. It will store for 5-10 years, and contains enough corn, peas, radish, onion, beet, tomato, spinach, cabbage, swiss chard, lettuce, carrot, pepper, squash, cucumber and beans to cover a 3/4 acre. Germination tested, Non-Hybrid, Heirloom, Non-GMO, and packaged in water tight mylar for long term storage. It’s a good value, and it ensures the food safety of your family. Great for seed saving. Comes complete with planting information and gardening tips. We recommend it!
Free Seed Saving Information – http://howtosaveseeds.com/
We also recommend our ebook on harvesting and purifying rain water for drinking, cooking, and irrigation. See http://www.green-trust.org/products/, and our water saving videos on laundry and composting at http://www.youtube.com/user/sspence65.
We have been doing some camping this summer, and the question came up about showers and toilets. First off, you need some privacy. There’s a number of tents on the market designed for this purpose. One of the units we used was the Texsport Hilo Hut Privacy Shelter
Zodi Hot Tap w/Piezo Ignition Single Md: 6185
Zodi Shower Pole with Tripod Stand and Nylon Storage Bag
5 gal PORTABLE TOILET Outdoor Camping Recreation
Reliance Products Luggable Loo Portable 5 Gallon Toilet
See these products and more at the Green Trust Gear Shop.
When we went offgrid, we installed a 12v piston pump in our basement, connected to our shallow well. It had the ability to “suck” from a max of about 25′ deep. You can see this pump at http://www.green-trust.org/products/.
Many folks have much deeper wells, even several hundred feet. We are happy to announce that we have a non-electric deep well option. The “Simple Pump” consists of a submersible pump, operated by a “sucker” rod, that installs below the water level in your well. It’s able to push the water up to 350′, and at up to 5 gallons per minute. The “Simple Pump” can be operated by hand, but has a dc motor option that can be driven by solar direct, or by battery. It can pump into a cistern or open tank, or even a pressurized water system. You don’t need a professional to install the “Simple Pump”, it’s easily installed by the handy homeowner. Although it has a 5 year warranty, it’s designed to last more than 50 years.
The “Simple Pump” system is tailored to YOUR particular well, so there is no “Add to Cart” button.
SIMPLE PUMP
Medium and Deep Well Pump
Hand operated or DC Motor.
Made in the USA, this durable, but simple pump is built to last! Submit a quote request at http://www.green-trust.org/products/
A Zeer pot is an evaporative cooler. In 90 degree weather you can see cooler temperatures in the 40′s. Basically it’s two clay pots separated by a layer of water infused sand, and a wet towel over the top. If the inside of the interior pot is glazed (water proof), seawater or other non-potable water can be used instead of fresh water. It doesn’t get much simpler than that.
A tomato that lasts 2 day on the counter can last 20 days in a Zeer pot.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pot-in-pot_refrigerator
We have been updating our flashlights to energy efficient LED’s, and replacing the batteries with solar recharged NiMH batteries. This gives us very long life on the batteries, the bulbs, and free recharging.
We start with the venerable MAGLITE 
We then add a TerraLUX high power LED replacement
You can find more bulbs like these at http://www.superbrightleds.com
Then you’ll need a set of Energizer Rechargeable NiMH Batteries
batteries and a charger like the AccuPower AP2020-1 Accu-Manager 20 Battery Charger for AAA/AA/C/D or 9-Volt NiMH, NiCD, or RAM Batteries
This charger has a 12v auto adapter, so to charge with it, I recommend a 60+ watt solar panel, a appropriate charge controller (Morningstar makes a good series of charge controllers) and a 12v buffer battery like the Walmart type 27 marine deep cycle. This allows you to charge when the sun isn’t shining.
You might think this is an expensive set up, but you’ll cut way back on battery expenses and landfill issues. You’ll be able to recharge batteries for all your portable devices. Even if you don’t go with the solar setup, just having reliable energy efficient light is a plus.
We have been advocates of water conservation for many years. The usual plan is to harvest rain with your gutters and a cistern, install water saving appliances, and using your greywater for irrigation. As we install composting waterless toilets instead of flush toilets, which make up almost half the typical non-irrigating home’s water consumption, the only wastewater left is greywater, and can be used to irrigate plants. Irrigation is the number one water consuming process in many homes. Art Ludwig has written a number of books on harvesting and conserving water, and has a new DVD out on recycling your greywater for irrigation purposes. Check out the free preview at http://www.oasisdesign.net/greywater/laundry/video/index.htm#videoclip
Additional references:
The Humanure Handbook: A Guide to Composting Human Manure, Third Edition
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Past Book of the Week Suggestions
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